Folding machine



J. C. RINGE FQLDING MACHINE Filed Nov. 19. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l a Q; INVENTOR N i "I John C(Rjr zye WITNESS? a? a i g BY 3 ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 20, 1925.

UNlTED .STATEfi PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. RINGE, OF STRATFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY, OF ELIZABETH, NE'i-V JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FOLDING MACHINE.

Application filed November 19, 1923. Serial No. 675,508.

To all whom i may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN G. HINGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stratford. in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in folding machines and has for an object to provide a machine of this character which, while capable of other uses, is more particularly designed to effect the folding operation in the method of producing the socalled French-cord forming the subject of the U. S. patent to D. Daniels, No. 1,400,806, Dec. 20, 1921.

Other and more specific objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims.

In the production of the French-cord of said Daniels Patent No. 1,400,806 a gal loon having a corded or thickened edge is secured by a line of stitches to the margin of a body-material such as a shoe-upper, the line of stitches being disposed closely adjacent to the thickened margin of the galloon and between the thickened galloon-margin and said body-material margin. The galloon and the body-material are then folded substantially on the stitch-line, the fold being secured by a cement previously applied. In order to meet commercial requirements, it is essential that a machine designed to effect this folding operation be effective when operating upon sharply curved materials as well as straight edges in order to produce a uniform folded edge.

The present folding machine in its preferred embodiment, includes a clamp-feeding mechanism for advancing the work past the folding instrumentalities, which comprise a stationary fold-determining member and a movable folder reciprocated in a right line across the'free edge of the fold-determining member. At the completion of its folding movement, the folder is disposed directly in advance of. the initial workengaging position of the upper feeding-foot which is partially cut away to provide clear ance for the fold-determining member. The upper feeding-foot acts to complete the folding operation initiated by the folder and yieldingly presses upon the cemented margins whereby they adhere to the reverse side of the body-material. By means of this disposition of the feeding and folding instrumentalities the span of simultaneous engagement of the work thereby is so short as to permit of the turning of very sharp curves, such as are present for instance in shoe-straps.

In the accompanying drawings,Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a folding machine embodying the present improvements. Fig. 2 is a top-plan view of the work-cylinder, the fold-determining memher, and the feeding foot. Fig. 3 is a front end view of the machine. Fig. 4 is a sectional view substantially on the line w-a2 of Fig. 1., Fig. 5 is an enlarged front view of the feeding foot engaging the work. Fig. 6 is a detail view illustrating the cooperation of the fold-determining member and the folder. Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the upper feeding foot. Fig. 8 is a sectional view substantially on the line y-y of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings the present improvements are embodied in a folding machine having a work cylinder 1 from which rises the hollow standard 2 of a tubular overhanging bracket-arm 3 terminating in a head 4. Journaled in suitable bearing provided in the bracket-arm 3 is a main actuating shaft 5, carrying at one end a. belt-pulley 6 and at its opposite end a shaft-flange 7 provided on its end face with a crank-pin 8. Pivotally connected with the crank-pin 8 is one end of a link 9 of which the opposite end is connected in like manner with an arm 10 of a bellcranlelever fulcrumed upon a block 11. The block 11 is rigidly clamped by means of a screw 12 upon a spring-pressed bar 13 mounted for vertical reciprocation in a fixed bushing I l and an adjustable bushing 15 provided in the head 4:. Interposed between the adjustable bushing 15 and the block 11 is a coil-spring 16 yieldingly urging the bar 13 downwardly until arrested by a cushion-washer 17 surrounding said bar and bearing against the upper end of the bushing 14l, said washer being held against upward movement upon said bar by a collar '18 rigidly clamped thereupon. The block 11 has a rear-extension 19 slidingly disposed in a slot 20 provided upon the rear side of the head at, said extension 19 being adapted to be engaged by a hand lifter-lever 21 to raise the bar 13. The block 11 also has a lateral-extension 22 adapted to be engaged by a treadleactuated lifterelever 23 suitably fulcrumed upon the rear side of the bracket-arm. 3. The extension 22' is ,slidingly clamped by the head 2t ofa-scre-w against a flat face on the rear side of the machine-arm 3', whereby Xifld movement of the bar- 13 is prevented.

The other. arm 25 of the be-llcrank-lever 10, 25 is connected by means of a link 26 with the upper: end of feed ba'r 2'? journaledi for vertical reciprocation 1n. alined apertures provided in the lugs 28 on the forward end of. an oscillatory, substantially U shaped feed-frame 29. At its lower end there is secured upon the feed-bar 27 the shank of a feedingfoot 30 having a lower serrated work-engaging face. The forward end ,orf'the feeding foot 30 is partially cut away to provide an initial: work-engaging toe 31 for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

The: upper limb ofthe feed-frame 29 is pivotally: hung upon a fulcrum-screw 32 threaded intotlie bracket-arm 3, said feedfra-me. carryi: g-on its lower limb a conical pivot-stud in vertical alineinent with the screw 32 and entering a similarly shaped aperture provided in detachable fulcrumplate 34 secured by screws as upon the work-cylinder 1. Suitably secured upon the lower-limb of the feedfraine 29 is; the

shank 86-- of a lower feed-dogj37 preferably having a smooth work-engaging L if face pro ect1ng through a slotted reedplate, 238; Shdmgly fitted into smtableunder-cu-t waysprovided in the feedplate 38 is aremovab le end-cap 39 closing the forward end of the worl;cylinder. Secured by means of a serew-l-0 into asocketet boss-ell of the feed-frame is a pin l-2slidi-1'1gly litted into a socketed eccentric-strap &3 cmbracing an eccentric al upon the main-shaft 5, whereby the feed-fran-ie is oscillated about its pivotal support. Any suitable means may be provided for adjusting the eccentricdettoincrease or decrease its effective act-ion upon the fQGCl-fl'2l111629.

Fronr the foregoing it will be understood that risi 1g and falling movements are imparted to; the feeding foot 30 from the main shaft 0 through the bellcranlelever 10, 25 while work-advancing and return movements are imparted to said feeding foot 30 by means of the oscillatory feed-frame 29. The lower feed-dog 37 is obviously confined to advancing and retracting move ments in a single plane, the work being firmly but yieldingly clamped by the spring 16 between the feeding foot 30 and the feeddog 37 during the advancing movements of the latter.

Secured upon the main-shaft 5 is a beltpulley 4:5 connected by means 0'': a belt 6 with a belt-pulley l? secured upon a rotary folder-actuating shaft disposed within the work-cylinder l and journaled in suitable bearings provided in the machine frame. The shaft 48 carries a, grooved cam 49, the groove 50 of which, is entered by a roller 51 depending from a folder-slide A guidewa-y for the folder-slide 52, contining said slide to right line movements sub-' stantially transverse to the direction of feed, is provided by spaced grooved guide-plates as 53 secured by screws as 54 upon. a workcylinder cover-plate fastened by screws as 56 upon the fulciiuin-plate'il l. The forward end ofthe cover-plate is preferably clamped upon the work-cylinder 1 by means gaging surface forthe folder as it advances in the folding operation.

The folder 62 acts to bend: the workover the free end 68 of a bent fold-determining member 69 adjustably secured upon a lat eralear 70 of an arm 71 by means of screws as 72 and enlarged apertures 73 provided in member 69. The arm 71 is pivoted by means of a screw 74 upon a bracket 75 havingrelongated slots whereby it is adjustably secured upon the head by screws as 77.

The arm 71 may be swung upon its pivotal support to throw the member 69 into and out of operative position. To this end-a latch 78 ispivoted upon the arm 71 by means of a screw i51 said latch having an olfsetez-zr 80 adapted to eng tie a shoulder 81 provided uponthe liltlClKQf 5 under the actionof a sprin g S2, interposed between the arm 71 and an ear 84: on the latch 78. An adjustable stop-screw 85 carried by the bracket 75 limits the forward movement of the fold-determining inen'iber into operative position, while the ear 8% affords a convenient thumb-piece for tripping the latch 78 to throw said member into an inoperative position retained by any suitable means such as a friction washer. In operation, the fold-determining member 69 is preferably so positioned that its free end 68 is disposed adjacent the toe 31 in the initial work-engaging position of the feeding foot 30, whereby a close association of the parts is possible.

The work comprises a body material a to which is secured a corded galloon b by a line of stitches s. In the operation of the machine, the work is inserted, in the retracted position of the folder 62, under the fold-determining member 69 with the free end 68 of the latter in substantial alinement with the line of galloonsecuring stitches s, tl e right side of the work being underneath and overlying the feed-plate 38. The initial end of the work is partially bent or folded by the operator about said free end of the fold-determining member and in the advancing movement of the folder the serrated face thereof, which is inclined downwardly toward the shoulder 64:, engages the partially upturned work and doubles it about the fold-determining member with an increasing action due to the inclination of the serrated face 65 and the increasing width of the folder. As the folder 62 is completing its advancing or folding movement, the shoulder 6st bears against the corded or thickened portion of the galloon with a pressure somewhat resiliently opposed by the fold-determining member, thereby in suring a substantially uniform creasing of the body material substantially on the stitch-line s. This action is assisted by the fact that the line of stitches in effect acts as a hinge for folding the work. Before the folder 62 begins its retracting movement, the upper feeding-foot 30 has completed its retracting movement and firmly but yieldingly clamps the work upon the feed dog 37, whereupon the folder 62 is retracted and the work ad *anced by said clamp-feeding elements. The firm pressure of the feeding foot upon the work causes the previously cemented margin to adhere to the reverse side of the body material. By providing the beveled inclined edge 66, 67, on the folder, the feeding foot may approach more closely to said folder when engaging the work and as this is the only time that the folder and feeding foot simultaneously engage the work, it is possible to turn very sharp curves by reason of the short span of engagement of the work at all times by the several elements.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is- 1. In a folding machine, in combination, folding instrumentalities comprising a member having a fold-determining free end, a. folder reciprocated in a right line across the free end of said member to fold the work thereabout, means for reciprocating'said folder, and means for advancing the work past said instrumentalities.

2. In a folding machine, in combination, folding instrumentalities comprising a fold determining member, a folder reciprocated in a right line to fold the work about said member, means for reciprocating said folder, and means for advancing the work past said instrumentalities.

3. In a. folding machine, in combination, a member having a fold-determining free end, a folder having movements in a right line and provided with a margin-folding face terminating in a fold-edge compressing shoulder at a substantial angle to said face, means for reciprocating said folder to cause its margin-folding face to fold the work-margin about said member, said shoulder acting to compress the fold-edge against the free end of said member, and means for feeding the work past said folder.

4. In a folding machine, in combination, a work-support, a folder reciprocable in a right line and having an inclined marginfolding face terminating in a substantially vertical fold-edge compressing shoulder, means for reciprocating said folder, a folddetermining member across which said face is projected, and means for feeding the work past said folder.

5. In a folding machine, in combination, a work-support, work-feeding means, a member having a fold-determining free end, a folder movable in a right line across the free end of said member, said folder having a margin-folding face increasing in width from its initial work-engaging end toward the base thereof, and means for reciprocating said folder.

6. In a folding machine, in combination, a work-support, work-feeding means including a four-motion upper feeding-foot having a forwardly projecting toe at one side there of, a member having a fold-determining free end disposed adjacent said toe in the initial work-engaging position of said foot, a folder movable across the free end of said member, and means for reciprocating said folder.

7. In a folding machine, in combination, a work-support, work-feeding means, a folddeterlnining member, an arm sustaining said member, a supporting bracket, a pivotal support for said arm upon said bracket, a spring-pressed latch carried by said arm for releasably locking said arm in operative position, a folder movable to fold the workmargin aclt ss said member, and means for adjustable megms fqr pl'edeternpini ng the actuating said fglde r. I operative pqsition of said M1111, 21 folcl- 10 8. In g1 folding mac me, in n 1big1 ati0n, er movable to gfold the work-,l nargin across a \\*01:k,s11ppo1*t, Work edi1gxgmeans,g1 feldilid member, and means for leQip focating 5 determining member, an \j lfllfl gustaiming said gfolder.

sa d m mbe b acke ,siqqpq 'ti g said in testimony whereof, I hnvesigned ,my arm, a releasable latch forloeking said arm name to .this specification. in the operative position of said member, JOHN G. HINGE. 

